Maui mayor not happy 'Temptation Island' will shoot there amid pandemic: 'If anything does go wrong, we will shut it down'
Temptation Island is coming to Maui — whether residents like it or not.
The mayor of the island, Michael Victorino, is in the “not” category, for fear it will lead to more coronavirus cases, though he’s happy that resort workers at Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, a Hyatt hotel, will be making an income after being out of work for months. Folks from the production are expected to start arriving this weekend.
“Yesterday I was informed of this production that is going to be held here,” Victorino said in a press conference Wednesday. “The state has approved it — through the state filming commission and they’re following all the necessary protocols sent by the governor.”
He said about 100 people, including cast members, will be there to work on the show, that he didn’t know the name of.
“Treasure Island? Fantasy Island? Temptation Island — excuse me, I don’t remember all of these things,” he quipped.
Victorino admitted, “I’m not too keen on it. In fact, I’m not too happy about it, but it’s been approved on the state level” with the governor and film commission feeling it’s “safe” due to “protocols in place.”
He said from what he’s been told, the cast and crew will stay on resort premises the whole time. All their meals will all take place there, and there will be doctors and nurses on hand.
“They’re taking care of everything,” he said. “And I know the Department of Health will be checking in and monitoring... If anything does go wrong, we will shut it down as quickly as possible.”
He added that hotel workers will be tested for COVID-19 and equipped with the necessary PPE. He said he was happy employees would be getting paid and receiving benefits after “four and five months” of being out of work.
The mayor said production will run until mid-October. On the hotel website, it states they will start taking reservations after Oct. 25.
A source close to production tells Yahoo Entertainment that the health and safety of the cast, crew and the community is a top priority and they have procedures and protocols so that everyone is as safe as possible.
The saucy reality show, hosted by Mark L. Walberg, sees couples living with some hot singles in a remote place in order to test how solid their relationships are. It’s based on a Dutch series and has been adapted by several countries with it being the third season of the U.S. version. It originally aired on Fox, but was resurrected for USA Network in 2019. It will be its sixth season.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, productions were swiftly shuttered and they’ve slowly resumed, while we are not out of the woods as far as the pandemic, with new protocols. Keanu Reeves talked about the safety measures on The Matrix 4 set as the film shoots in Germany. Megan Fox and new boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly quarantined with their Midnight in the Switchgrass co-stars as production resumed on that film in Puerto Rico.
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC’s and WHO’s resource guides.
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